Clark Twitter Teenager Sentenced

CLARK — Kara Alongi, 16, the Clark teenager who wrote a fake plea for help on Twitter last year that attracted worldwide attention, was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a six-month suspension of driver’s license, $2,000 restitution and 40 hours of community service after she pleaded guilty to a third-degree charge of creating a false public alarm and a fourth-degree charge of making false reports to law enforcement authorities.

Alongi told a 911 operator a black 28-year-old man forced her into a cab and onto a bus after she was captured on surveillance cameras at the NJ Transit Station in Rahway purchasing a ticket to New York City.

The high school student had posted a misspelled message to her Twitter page around 6:20 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2012 that gave the impression that she was in a panic, stating: ‘There is someone in my hour ecall 911’.

Phone records showed someone in the Alongi’s home called a local taxi company and ordered a pick up at their address right around the time that Kara posted the intruder claim to Twitter.

After initially believing the tweet, police became suspicious because there were no signs of foul play.

Officials have never put a final figure on how much the operation to find Alongi cost them. But Clark Township announced that the police bill incurred by Kara’s hoax will not be passed onto her family.

Clark mayor Sal Bonaccorso told The Star-Ledger that the bill was not ‘exorbitant’ and he didn’t want to burden Kara’s parents.

‘We’re not going to sit there and pass the costs along,’ Bonaccorso said.’Obviously this young lady had some things going on, however you want to say it. We’re just happy she was returned to her family and we hope she makes some better choices in the future.’